The Indiana native was having a hard time believing that he had just won the Brickyard 400.

"This is a dream come true for me. I can’t wait to kiss those bricks," Newman said. "I don’t even realize it yet. It’s a dream come true. If it hits you all at once, it’s not good enough. It will take a week or two for this to sink in."

Newman, a Purdue graduate and a native of South Bend, Ind., held off five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson to win for the first time at Indy. Johnson, a four-time winner at Indy, finished second followed by Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.

Newman, who started on the pole and had the only car that could run with Johnson, grabbed the advantage by taking just two tires on his last green-flag pit stop while Johnson took four. When the rest of the leaders pitted, Newman held a 3.5-second lead over Johnson. He held on to win by 2.6 seconds.

“Matt Borland just made an awesome call," Newman said. "I have won more races with him on old tires and out of gas than I have with four tires and the best car."

The win was the first at Indy for Stewart-Haas Racing and the first as a car owner for Tony Stewart, who won the race twice as a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing.

It is the first win of the season for Newman, who was told two weeks ago that he will not return to Stewart-Haas next year and is looking for a ride for 2014.

Beating Johnson, a four-time Brickyard 400 winner, should help.

Stewart, also an Indiana native, was ecstatic for his teammate and friend.

“I can’t wait to give him a hug and congratulate him," Stewart said before making his way to victory lane. "He did an awesome job all weekend. ... I’m just real proud of him. He’s a great teammate and an even better person. I couldn’t be happier for him. This is our home race, it can’t get any better than this."

The win was the 17th of Newman's career and his fourth at Stewart-Haas. It also put him in contention for a Chase wild-card spot.

It also was the first win at Stewart-Haas for Borland since he and Newman were reunited prior to this season. Newman and Borland won 12 races together at Penske Racing before both moved to Stewart-Haas.

“It’s just a fantastic day," Borland said. "We were finally able to get everything right on race day. … It’s huge. This is his hometown and the Brickyard is the Brickyard. It’s just an awesome day.”

Johnson, the series points leader, dominated the race, leading 73 of 160 laps. But he lost his advantage when he hit pit road for the final time.

Johnson held the lead when the leaders pitted under green with 27 laps to go. He pitted for four tires, but his team had a slow stop, spending just over 17 seconds for four tires and fuel. Newman, who was running second, took just two tires and came back onto the track about seven seconds ahead of Johnson.

Johnson began steadily cutting into Newman’s advantage, trailing by just 3.6 seconds with 16 laps remaining. But when the rest of the leaders pitting, handing Newman the lead, Johnson could gain no more ground.

“There’s definitely disappointment there, but it’s racing and things happen," Johnson said. "I’ve given away a couple myself this year. You win as a team and you lose as a team. I wouldn’t take another race team out there."

Newman, who led 45 laps, including the first 29, had the only car that could stay with Johnson throughout the race. He often gained on him during long runs, but needed the pit-road advantage to grab the lead and a green-flag run to the end to keep it.

“I’m happy it stayed green, we needed that," Newman said. "Jimmie did a good job. He had a great car. I stayed in back and watched him for a little bit and he would check out on restarts and I had to come back. We had a great long-run car. What an ending to a great day."

“Ryan was fast all day long," Johnson said. "I can’t take anything from him. ... He was plenty fast. My hat’s off to him and that whole team."

Newman moved to just 16th in the standings, but with a win, he is now in contention for a Chase wild card if he doesn't crack the top 10 in points. Stewart, 11th in points, also is fighting for a wild card.

The win also gives Newman and his team a big lift, especially with Newman looking for a new team for next season.

“The biggest thing is confidence — confidence in me, confidence in the team, confidence in me with the team," Newman said. "We’ve still got the championship to go after and we’ve still got the Chase to go after. We’ve got plenty of racing left. This is just a great day for us."